What do the results mean?

Download speed

This represents how fast your network can receive data from internet servers in a certain amount of time. Download speed is measured in megabits-per-second (Mbps). This is what we usually think of when we hear “internet speed.” If you have a faster connection, you'll be able to transfer more data in a shorter amount of time. For example, fast download speeds mean smooth video streaming, smooth online gaming, and fast web browsing.

Keep in mind:

Your download speed is determined by the plan you have purchased from your ISP. Some plans are limited to 10 Mbps, while others can go all the way up to 1000 Mbps.

Some devices like mobile phones won’t have speeds as fast as computers. The model/version of the device can also affect speeds.

What you can do with your download speed

Download speed

Megabits Per Second (Mbps)

Rating

What you can do

100 Mbps and up

Blazing fast

Anything you want! Stream 4K videos on multiple devices, play online games with your friends, or have a video conference -- all at the same time. We’re talking all the crystal-clear HD cat videos your heart desires.

50 Mbps and up

Lightning fast

Stream 4K video, video conferences, and online games on multiple devices at the same time. Sounds like a party.

25 Mbps and up

Pretty snappy

Reliably stream HD videos on multiple devices at the same time.

13 Mbps and up

Good

Stream a few HD videos at once. Decent for a crowded home, but best for small households.

7 Mbps and up

Ok

Stream one HD video. If multiple devices are streaming videos at the same time, you might run into some buffering.

3 Mbps and up

A little slow

Stream a standard definition video on one device.

Under 3 Mbps

Not so great

Web browsing should be fine, but videos could load slowly.

What to do if results aren’t what you expected

Your download speed is looking a little slow, huh?

Before you start to worry, ask yourself: Am I actually experiencing slow speeds? Or are the results just lower than I expected?

If the network check results are low but your Internet experience is good (fast web browsing, smooth video streaming), that’s a good sign. The result could just be a false alarm. There could be several reasons why. Let’s make sure you’re getting accurate results. Learn how Google Wifi tests your network.

Make sure the slow result wasn’t a one-time thing. Try running a network check again.
Slow results can be caused by congestion on your ISP’s network or on the Internet, which are most crowded during peak hours like dinnertime. When networks get crowded, data gets slowed down, like cars in a traffic jam.

Turn off priority device. Priority device reserves bandwidth for the prioritized device and will result in slower network check results.

How we calculate download speed

To calculate your download speed, the Google Wifi app measures how much data your primary Wifi point can send and receive from Google’s servers in a given amount of time. We believe that testing speed against popular a server (i.e. YouTube) instead of the closest one provides a truer measure of normal, everyday internet use. Learn more.

For example, if your download speed is 45 Mbps, that means:

45 megabits of data can be transferred in one second from YouTube's servers to your home.

Keep in mind:

Any speed test is just a general snapshot of your download speed, which depends on when and where you’re going on the Internet. In other words, you might not have 45 Mbps of speed for everything you do online. That’s because not all internet connections are the same size. The bigger the connection, the more data can flow through it. And connection size will vary depending on the sites you visit and where their servers are.

Network congestion is always a factor. So, depending on what you’re doing, when you’re doing it and what other people on the Internet are doing, your download speed could potentially be higher or lower than 45 Mbps. But 45 Mbps is a pretty good snapshot of your internet speed. :)

In some instances (for example, in an email from Google Wifi), the displayed download speed is an average of past Network Check results. These past results are a collection of any manual Network Check you perform and any automatic check, which the Google Wifi app performs every other day, from the past two months.

Upload speed

This measures how fast your network can send data to a server. Upload speed is particularly important for online gaming, video or voice calls, and uploading large files like videos to YouTube or backing up photos. This is measured in megabits-per-second (Mbps).

Overall performance also depends on Internet speed

You can have the best router in the world, but if the internet connection provided by your ISP is slow, you’ll still have slow performance.

General rule: If you have a good Wi-Fi speed and you're happy with your download speed, you're fine.

Why do other speed tests give me different results?

Most online speed tests check for speeds between your personal devices and a server. But these results will vary depending on two factors:

Your location

The location of the server

Some tests automatically select the closest server to you, while others let you select from a list of several servers.

Either way, one thing’s for sure: Distance matters. Test against a server that’s close to you and the results will be faster; test against a farther server and they’ll be slower. This variability can lead to results that aren’t always representative of the speeds you’ll experience in everyday use.

See past network results

The Google Wifi app saves the results of every network check performed in the last two months. This includes every manual network check you do and the automatic checks your Wifi point performs every other day.

Open the Google Wifi app and tap the network tab .

Tap Internet in the network map.

Tap the Speed tab.

You can opt of out the automatic network checks by disabling cloud services. But keep in mind: turning off cloud services will also disable features like insight cards, automatic channel selection, and Guest Wi-Fi, among others. Learn more about cloud services.